Armenia
MUNEE in Armenia: While economic and resource constraints facing Armenia present significant challenges to improved energy efficiency at the municipal level, the Alliance has identified several areas in which the Municipal Network for Energy Efficiency (MUNEE) can make a difference. The Alliance will work with MUNEE partners to bring relevant experience in energy efficiency to Armenia, capitalize on Armenia's existing networks to disseminate this experience to municipal leaders, and create new networks to exchange useful information.
Summary of the 2002 - 2004 MUNEE activities in Armenia.
Armenian Energy Efficiency Council: One of the first steps under the MUNEE program in Armenia was the establishment of the Armenian Energy Efficiency Council (AEEC), which brought together ministry officials, non-governmental organizations, academia, energy businesses and donors, aimed at developing a dialogue on national energy policy issues and identify priority areas for energy efficiency reform.
AEEC, often referred to by local energy experts as "the Energy Club", is co-chaired by senior officials from the Armenian Ministry of Energy and USAID Mission in Armenia. Four roundtables were held, some key outputs of which included development of the list of priority areas for policy reform, recommendations legal/legislative developments regulating the field of energy efficiency, development of the conceptual framework for country's energy saving and renewable energy legislative needs, and further - with the ASE/MUNEE technical assistance on international experience in energy saving legislation - the discussion of the draft Law on Energy Saving and Renewable Energy.
Energy Policy Reform: The Alliance provided the Ministry of Energy technical assistance for drafting the Law of the ROA on "Energy Saving and Renewable Energy" (ES & RE). The legal drafting team in cooperation with the EE policy working group of the AEEC has successfully delivered the final draft of the Law of the ROA on "Energy Saving and Renewable Energy" and the legal package with accompanying draft resolutions, justifications, and amendments to the existing legal acts to the Government. The draft of the law has gone through a public hearing with representatives of relevant NGOs and press. The Government has approved the draft law on 18 March 2004 and, in accordance with the Prime Minister's decree, submitted the legal package to the National Assembly. The National Assembly has unanimously voted for the draft during its first reading on the 18th of May 2004.
National Association of Condominium Owners (NACO): Many condominium associations in Armenia are not familiar with basic concepts and benefits of weatherization, heat meters and allocators, and project finance. As a result, building residents pay too much of their limited income for infrequent and poor quality service. In Armenia, there are 602 registered condominium associations (400 of which are members of NACO), including 3,009 buildings and 170,000 units in multi-family buildings.
The Alliance is assisting NACO to use its large network of condominium owners and building managers to invest in energy efficiency in common areas and in individual apartments. This assistance includes training seminars for condominium owners on the benefits of improving energy efficiency in terms of improved comfort and financial savings, a booklet of information on low- or no-cost weatherization techniques to be distributed through NACO to all homeowner associations in selected cities, a study tour for NACO leaders to visit counterpart organizations in the MUNEE region, and demonstration projects to install heat meters in a selected residential buildings. The results of these activities are disseminated throughout the MUNEE network.
In cooperation with National Association of Condominium Owners a report was produced on revealed Barriers to Residential and Municipal Energy Efficiency in Armenia covering the barriers for financing EE and describing the status of several Armenian cities in terms of municipal energy efficiency status.
The Alliance, in cooperation with the Advanced Engineering Associates International, supported the "Yerevanyan 155" condominium in Gumri, located in the earthquake zone, with the installation of gas meters. This is a USAID pilot project concentrating on the installation of individual gas heaters. Click here for Armenia Condominium Status Fact Sheet (121 kb).
Urban Heating: Within the framework of the donors' working group, USAID mission asked the Alliance to implement Alliance's MUNEE condominium-targeted work in coordination with the World Bank Urban Heating Project Implementation Unit and to support the establishment of condominium advisory centers. This effort has also taken a form of Heating Equipment and Service Providers' Market Assessment published in September 2003 and Residential Heating Pilot Project Review (in Armenian and English) , which would provide and overview lessons learnt over the past decade in the field of decentralized heating pilot projects in Armenia.
Recently, the Alliance team gave a presentation on decentralized heat supply projects at the Second International Conference on Complex Solutions on Energy and Ecology Problems of Enterprises and Municipalities in Big Yalta, Ukraine in May 2005. The presentation addressed projects relating to decentralized heating systems, presented technical indicators and suggested technical and institutional solutions.
Armenian Energy Efficiency Network: The Alliance is building an information network related to energy efficiency at the municipal level. A preliminary survey will be sent to a number of pre-selected cities across Armenia, which indicate a strong level of interest in transferring information and providing training on issues related to better energy management. This task will establish the infrastructure needed to create a municipal-focused Armenian Energy Efficiency Network (AEEN), and will support greater dissemination of information throughout the country.
Browse the MUNEE Armenia Fact Sheet for readily-available program information.
Contact: Astghine Pasoyan
Tel: +(3741) 533 896
E-mail: apasoyan@ase.org
This Project is funded by the United States Agency for International Development